US forces have killed four people in an attack on a boat off the coast of Venezuela that was allegedly trafficking drugs, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics - headed to America to poison our people, Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
This attack is part of a series of recent deadly strikes carried out by the US on vessels in international waters that it alleges are involved in narco-trafficking.
The strikes have attracted condemnation from countries including Venezuela and Colombia, with some international lawyers describing the actions as breaches of international law.
Hegseth noted that the strike occurred in the area covered by US Southern Command, which oversees most of South America and the Caribbean. He asserted, Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route, following Friday's attack.
President Trump also acknowledged the strike on his social media platform, asserting that the boat was carrying enough drugs to potentially kill between 25,000 and 50,000 individuals.
Despite these claims, the US has not publicly provided evidence corroborating their assertions or information about the identities of those aboard the vessel.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has previously condemned these strikes and stated that his nation will defend itself against US aggression. This latest operation marks the fourth such US strike in recent weeks.
Earlier in September, a US strike on a drug-carrying vessel resulted in 11 fatalities. Subsequent strikes followed, resulting in six additional deaths.
A leaked memo sent to Congress indicates that the US government now considers itself engaged in a non-international armed conflict with drug cartels, altering its legal standing and potentially justifying further military actions.
Legal experts have questioned the legality of framing drug trafficking as an armed attack, which could grant the administration broader military powers akin to those used after the events of 9/11.
Trump has previously designated various cartels as terrorist organizations, increasing the authority of US officials to respond with military actions targeted at these groups.
